CHANGE comes to Sang

Market day is held on the sixth day of the week in the community of Sang.

Like many communities in the Northern Region of Ghana, the majority of Sang residents rely on agriculture to feed their families and provide an income. The rainy season, which usually lasts from April until September, brings with it busy days of planting, ploughing and constant care and attention of the crops. But in recent years, the rainy season has been unpredictable – and farmers in Sang, like those throughout much of Northern Ghana, are confused about what to plant and when.

RAINS provides much-needed consultation and training around climate-smart agriculture – which is getting a boost from the newly-launched Climate Change Adaptation in Northern Ghana Enhanced (CHANGE) Project, funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), CFTC and our Canadian partner, Farm Radio International. Sang has become one of 17 communities across Northern Ghana whose farmers – especially women – will benefit from the project.

Ayi Mustafa is one such farmer. Born in Sang, and having lived here all her life, she farms crops like rice and maize, which are common staples in Northern Ghana. Ayi and her husband have six children: three girls and three boys. “There has been such a big change in our lives since CFTC and RAINS came to our community. In the past, feeding our entire family was difficult, and the children would not stay at school because they would go wandering looking for something to eat,” she said.

With the help of CFTC, RAINS has equipped families like Ayi’s with the skills and tools they need to increase their yields, which in turn provides greater nourishment to their families and a greater income by selling extra produce at market. “We hold a market here in Sang every sixth day of the week, and it is here that my husband and I sell our crops,” Ayi said. It is because of this added income that Ayi can now afford to send all six of her children to school.

RAINS provides access to workshops about farming techniques and practices, as well as providing seeds and oxen to help families plough their fields, and providing tools and training that make a huge impact on how these farmers plant, maintain and harvest their crops. With CHANGE being launched in the last several months, Ayi and her neighbours will soon have the opportunity to participate in training being delivered by RAINS through agricultural extension workers from Ghana’s Ministry of Food & Agriculture (MOFA) and the Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI).